GoneSouth wrote:Can anyone help me out with info on the move-in process? I'm moving into Lenfest on Monday morning and have received no info on where to go, what to do, etc.

Do I go to the housing office first, and if so, where is it?

Fellow 0L. I think you should've gotten an initial confirmation email, and a reminder message. Here's what was in the email reminder I got a few days before my move-in:

REVIEW YOUR APPOINTMENTPlease review your appointment to ensure the date/ time is correct.

• [My appointment time last week]

If you need to make changes to your appointment, please log into the HOUSING PORTAL to request the change.

WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR APPOINTMENTTo sign your rental agreement, please go to the UAH office located at 401 West 119th Street, near Morningside Drive on the day of your appointment.

You MUST have the following with you:• Two (2) passport-size photographs of you and your partner/family members (if applicable)• Your Social Security Number or Passport with Student Visa• Documentation of “Couples Status” (if applicable)• Documentation of “Family Status” (if applicable)

After you have signed your agreement, you may move into your unit. Please remember, large furniture may only be moved in during business hours (Monday – Friday, 9:00AM - 4:00PM).

ETA: Also, not sure if it'll work out for you the way it did for me, but I actually got there half an hour before my appointment, and I knocked on the door of Lenfest to see if I could start unloading my car -- they not only let me in, but one of the staff actually opened up my apartment and helped move stuff in, which was awesome. No guarantees they'll do it again, but worth a try. Easily best interaction I've had with any Columbia staff so far, haha.

What? Trader joes is the cheapest grocer in our area. Its where I do basically all my shopping except random one off items. Everything is 1/2 cost of westside or less.

I was told my opinion on this matter was "really fucking dumb," and it appears it is. Back where I'm from, TJoes is more expensive than most other places, so I have never gone to the one near school thinking the same thing. The place I buy groceries is priced similarly to Kansas' prices, so I just assumed TJoes would be more expensive.

What? Trader joes is the cheapest grocer in our area. Its where I do basically all my shopping except random one off items. Everything is 1/2 cost of westside or less.

I was told my opinion on this matter was "really fucking dumb," and it appears it is. Back where I'm from, TJoes is more expensive than most other places, so I have never gone to the one near school thinking the same thing. The place I buy groceries is priced similarly to Kansas' prices, so I just assumed TJoes would be more expensive.

K

You've clearly heard ppl refer to TJs as cheap before tho

I guess I've always lived in high CoL areas so TJs has always been affordable for its quality, although never more affordable than in manhattan. The lines are obnoxious but its hard to imagine a better deal. If you've found one major kudos.

To what extent do Columbia students actually have geographic mobility when it comes to biglaw employment? Obviously better grades = better chances outside NYC mkt, but I'm curious how much of a mobility advantage a successful Columbia student might have over a similarly ranked student from a "lesser" school?

Brentwood wrote:To what extent do Columbia students actually have geographic mobility when it comes to biglaw employment? Obviously better grades = better chances outside NYC mkt, but I'm curious how much of a mobility advantage a successful Columbia student might have over a similarly ranked student from a "lesser" school?

this is a complicated question. it varies -- in CA, CLS hits heavier than other schools; in DC, it's probably a wash. could you be more specific? PM me if you'd like.

Brentwood wrote:To what extent do Columbia students actually have geographic mobility when it comes to biglaw employment? Obviously better grades = better chances outside NYC mkt, but I'm curious how much of a mobility advantage a successful Columbia student might have over a similarly ranked student from a "lesser" school?

this is a complicated question. it varies -- in CA, CLS hits heavier than other schools; in DC, it's probably a wash. could you be more specific? PM me if you'd like.

I was mostly thinking CA actually. I've heard a fair amount of rhetoric claiming that CLS has a truly national presence, but I've been snooping around the EIP thread and it seems a lot of people are extremely skeptical of ops outside of NY. Maybe that's not a representative sample, but as someone with relatively few ties to CA, I'm curious if CLS could keep that door open for me if I were to perform well academically. Would you say that CA mobility is a legitimate strength of CLS that would set it apart from its peers within the T14?

Brentwood wrote:To what extent do Columbia students actually have geographic mobility when it comes to biglaw employment? Obviously better grades = better chances outside NYC mkt, but I'm curious how much of a mobility advantage a successful Columbia student might have over a similarly ranked student from a "lesser" school?

this is a complicated question. it varies -- in CA, CLS hits heavier than other schools; in DC, it's probably a wash. could you be more specific? PM me if you'd like.

I was mostly thinking CA actually. I've heard a fair amount of rhetoric claiming that CLS has a truly national presence, but I've been snooping around the EIP thread and it seems a lot of people are extremely skeptical of ops outside of NY. Maybe that's not a representative sample, but as someone with relatively few ties to CA, I'm curious if CLS could keep that door open for me if I were to perform well academically. Would you say that CA mobility is a legitimate strength of CLS that would set it apart from its peers within the T14?

I'm not sure I'd go that far, I'd just say that for the CA firms I've interviewed with and worked at, your grades can be a little lower at CLS than at UVA, Penn, Duke, ect. Berkeley and Chicago are probably comparable. I'd re-frame it a little: at many less selective firms, your grades don't even really matter from Columbia if you have ties and a little hustle; at the highly selective firms, your grades will matter from every school (except yale, I suppose).

That being said, it's tougher to advise someone with 'relatively few ties to CA'. I think poor ties and bad grades would be the kiss of death for California; you need one or the other. If you do perform well, you'll create California options, although you have to be strategic since class sizes are a lot smaller (especially in SF) than at New York firms.

I wouldn't go to Columbia over another school in the T14 strictly on the basis of more powerful placement in California. The school's greatest asset is still its placement into the most elite firms in the new york market.